Spindle for spinning mechanism



June 4, 1963 J. TURNER 3,091,911

SPINDLE FOR SPINNING MECHANISM Filed May 10, 1960 4 Sheets-heet 1 June 4, 1963 J. TURNER 3,091,911

SPINDLE FOR SPINNING MECHANISM Filed May 10, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 i W f m mm W fi pllvfj June 4, 1963 Filed May 10, 1960 J. TURNER 3,091,911

SPINDLE FOR SPINNING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 1963 J. TURNER 3,091,911

SP INDLE FOR SPINNING MECHANISM Filed May 10. 1960 Z/% 041- 7-4M. a?

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,091,911 SPINDLE FUR SPINNING MECHANISM John Turner, Newton, Mass. (4 Colbert Road, West Newton, Mass.) Filed May 10, 1960, Ser. No. 28,096 3 Claims. (Cl. 57-135) This invention relates to a unit mechanism for spinning a roving into :a thread or yarn with :a uniform twist, the mechanism being arranged for convenient and effective control, for rapid ope-ration and for quick and easy servicing. The modern conventional spinning frame is a long structure with many spindles mounted thereon to be driven by connections with a single central drive shaft. If 'any of the individual spindles or the mechanism asso ciated with it is in need of repm'r-s, it is usually necessary to shut :down the entire frame, with a resulting loss of production which may be considerable. According to the present invention each spindle is part of a separate, independently driven unit which is provided with conveniently accessible controls for the production of yarn twisted in the desired direction with the desired number of turns per inch. The unit is designed to be operated at speeds substantially in excess of those now considered to be maximum in commercial production. Each unit has its own drive and controls so that the various kinds of yarn can be produced simultaneously on a group of such units. Each unit can be stopped and repaired without in terrupting or interfering with the operation of any of the other units present. The working parts of each unit are encased in a compact housing which occupies little floor space, but the construction is such that the parts within the housing are readily accessible.

On the conventional spinning frame of the ring type the roving is led from the drawing rolls through a traveler on the ring and thence to the spindle, the roving being spun into yarn in the process. The spindle is rotated at a high speed and the tension on the yarn causes the traveler to revolve around the ring at a slightly lesser rate to twist the roving into a yarn which is then wound on the bobbin carried by the spindle. The roving is fed from the drawing rolls at a constant rate but the yarn is taken up by the bobbin at an increasing rate as the yarn package on the bob-bin increases in diameter. lif the rotation of the spindle is constant, the rotation of the traveler increases ias the yarn package on the bobbin changes, thus varying twist in the yarn.

According to the present invention, a spinning mechanism is provided by which the twist put in the yarn can be carefully controlled and made uniform. As hereinafter described, the spinning mechanism is of the flyer-frame type but is constructed for high-speed operation with a controlled uniformity of the twist put in the yarn. For this purpose, the spindle and flyer are driven at constant speeds which diifer, the speed of rotation of the flyer being preferably somewhat less than that of the spindle. The use of a flyer completely eliminates the formation of a balloon between the drawing rolls and the bobbin which in ring spinning seriously limits the maximum feasible speed of operation. As the yarn package on the bobbin increases in diameter, the speed of rotation of the spindle being constant, it is evident that the yarn will be wound on the bobbin at an increasing linear rate. Hence it will be necessary to speed up the rate of feed from the drawing rolls accordingly. As the speed of rotation of the flyer is constant, this means that fewer twists per inch will be put into the yarn as it travels from the drawing rolls to the bobbin. T o compensate for this reduction in twists, additional twists are put in the roving before it reaches the drawing rolls. An object of the invention is to control such preliminary twists in the roving before it reaches the 3,691 ,9 l l Patented June 4, 1963 drawing rolls. The preliminary twist is imparted to the roving by drawing it from the end of a package of roving on a spool or bobbin and at the same time rotating the spool or bobbin on its axis. The speed of such rotation is regulated in accordance with the amount of preliminary twist to be put in the roving at any stage of a spinning operation. This regulation of speed of rotation of the roving spool is brought about, according to the invention, by a vari-speed drive mechanism controlled by a suitable feeler bearing against the roving package on the supply spool. As the diameter of the roving package decreases, the feeler swings inward toward the axis of the spool and causes an increase in the speed of rotation of the roving spool.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description of an embodiment thereof, and to the drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a spinning unit embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevation of the same;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevation, on a larger scale, of the upper portion of the unit as seen from the left in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, on a larger scale, of the roving spool and some of the speed control mechanism;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section on the line 77 of FIGURE 3, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 8 is a front elevation of the spinning unit shown in FIGURE 1 FIGURE 9 is a vertical section of the spindle;

FIGURE 10 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the1 mechanism shown in FIGURE 3, but on a larger sca e;

FIGURE 11 is a section on the line ill-11 of FIGURE 9, on a larger scale;

FIGURE 12 is an elevational View of the spindle, fiyer and supporting means therefor;

FIGURE 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of FIG- URE 12;

FIGURE 14 is a front elevational view of mechanism for traversing the spindle;

FIGURE 15 is a section URE 14;

FIGURE 16 is a fragmentary magnified elevational view, partly in section, of a joint for the ends of a power belt; and

FIGURE 17 is a wiring trols.

The spinning frame illustrated on the drawings is a single-spindle unit enclosed for the most part in a housmg 20 which can conveniently be made of sheet metal. The housing 20 is preferably vertically elongated to occupy iloo-r space and is hinged at its lower end to the floor as at 22 so that it can be swung forward to incline into the aisle in front of the unit so as to pnovide access through the side walls of the housing to the mechanism in the interior thereof. The lower portion of the housing 20 is between parallel walls 24 on one of which is a jointed arm consisting of two liniss 26 and 28 pivotally joined at 39. The other end of the link 26 is pivotally attached to a wall 24. At the other end of the link 28 is a handle 32 and a notch 34. The latter is arranged to engage on a pin 36 projecting from the housing 2t}. When the housing 20 is upright, the links 26 and 28 come together and rest on the upper edge of the wall 24. When the housing 20 is tilted forward, the links open out to hold the housing at a limiton the line 1515 of FIG- diagram of the electrical con- I ing angle of inclination if the pin 36 is engaged in the notch 34. If the unit is one of a number of such units disposed closely side by side to conserve floor space, the side walls'ofthe housing are made accessible by the forward tilt, thus providing access to the mechanism within the housing for adjustment or repairs.

Mounted at the rear of the housing 26 is a verica-l stem 50 adapted to receive and support a spool or bobbin 51 on which a package 52 of roving has been wound. This is the supply package from which the roving is drawn to be twisted into a yarn. The stem 59 is mounted on or is a part of a vertical shaft 54 which has a pulley wheel 55 suitably connected by a belt 56 to a pulley wheel 57 on the shaft of a motor '60 mounted in the lower portion of the housing 26 for rotating the roving package 52 to a put a preliminary twist in the roving as it is drawn from the upper end of the package.

Mounted on extensions 58, 59 of the side walls of the housing and at the rear thereof above the sup port for the moving package are two vertically spaced pairs of drawing rolls 62, 64 and 66, 68 (FIGURES 4 and 10). The inner rolls 62 and 66 are mounted respectively on shafts 70 and 72' journalled in the frame of the housing 20. The shaft 70 mso has two sprocket wheels 74'and 76. The sprocket wheel 74 is connected by a chain 78 ton smaller sprocket wheel 80 :on the shaft 72 so that the shaft 72 is driven from the shaft 70 but at a faster rate so as to draw the roving as it moves from the lower drawing rolls '62, 64 to the upper rolls 66, 68. The other sprocket wheel 76 on the shaft 70 isconnected by a chain 82 to a sprocket wheel 84 driven by a motor 86 mounted conveniently on the rear wall of the housing 20. The outer roll 64 of the lower pair is rotatably carried by the upper arm of a U-shaped bracket 90, the lower arm of the bracket being journalled in the frame of the housing 26. A spring 92 is biased to press the roll 64 against the roll 62.. In like manner the outer roll 68 of the upper pair is carried by a similarly mounted bracket 94 which is biased by a spring 96 to press the roll 68 against the roll 66. T o facilitate threading the roving between'the drawing rolls, a vertically slidable plate 160 is mounted on the side wall extension 59. When the plate is pushed down mannail-y from its normal position shown in FIGURE 4, cam'edges 102 and 1114 press on the upper arms of the brackets 90 and 94 to swing the rolls 64 and 68 out away from the rolls 62 and 66 so that the roving can easily be inserted between the rolls of each pair.

From the upper drawing rolls 66, 63' the roving goes over a, guide roll 110 on the top of the housing 20, then vertically down through a tubular shaft'112 at the upper end of a flyer 114 which comprises an upper disc 116 and a lower disc 118 connected by two side bars 126, 122. Since the iiyer is to be rotated at high speeds, the side bars are made as light as possible and the lower portions thereof are reinforced by rings 124, 126 to counteract centrifugal forces. The upper portion of the fiyer'must be kept clear to permit dotting. Hence the upper portions of the side bars are reinfoncedby a stiff strip 128 secured to the inner faces of the side bars.

The roving, which has been given a preliminary twist when leaving the supply package, goes through the drafting zone between the pairs of drawing rolls, then over the guide roll 110 and down through the tubular shaft 112. From the lower end of the shaft 112, the roving goes to a guide consisting of a curled back margin of one of the side bars 126, 122, both of these side bars having their margins curled back, as indicated in FIG- URE 13, so that either of the side bars can be used as the guide. About half-way down the side bars a guide and the lower portion of each finger extends below the ring 126 so that the ring limits the outward swing of the idle guide finger when the spindle and cage are rotating. Two guide fingers are provided, as shown, for dynamic balance of the fiyer to prevent excessive vibration at high speeds, but only one of the fingers is used at a time. The lower disc 118 of the flyer surrounds the spindle 140, hereinafter described, and acts as a bearing to prevent gyration of the fiyer when rotating at high speeds.

The spindle is coaxial with the ilyer and comprises a number of nested tubes shown in FIGURE 9. At the core of the spindle 140 is a fixed rod 142, the lower end of which is secured to a horizontal platform 144 at or near the bottom of the housing 20. Slidably surrounding the rod 142 and extending beyond the upper end thereof is an inner tube 146 which moves vertically but does not rotate. Vertical reciprocating movement of the tube 146 is brought about by a collar 148 secured to the lower end of the tube and also to a loop of chain 150 (FIGURE 14) which passes over two sprocket wheels 152, 154. The chain 150 also meshes with an idle sprocket wheel 156 which normally holds the chain in meshed engagement with a driving sprocket wheel 158. The latter is rotated slowly through reduction gearing by an electric motor 160. The traversing movement of the spindle can be readily stopped at any time without interrupting the operation of the rest of the apparatus by shifting the idler 156 so that the chain is out of contact with the rotating sprocket wheel 158. For this purpose the idler 156 is carried by a pivoted bracket (not shown) which has an arm 162 by which it can be rocked, a flexible wire 164 for this purpose extending from the arm 162 to a knob 166 at the front of the housing (FIGURE 8). The traversing movement of the spindle is automatically reciprocating, the motor being a reversible motor controlled by a reversing switch 168, which is in series with a manually operable switch 169. The switch lever of the switch 168 is attached to a vertically movable rod 170 carrying two adjustably spaced lugs 172, 174. These lugs are alternately engaged by a projection 176 on the collar 148 to trip the switch 168 and reverse the direction of movement of the spindle tube 146. To reduce the load imposed on the motor 160 when the spindle parts 146 and 18% are being raised in a traversing movement, a spring is compressed within the tube 146 between a plug 177 in the upper end of the tube and the top of the rod 142. The spring carries most of the weight ofthe vertically movable parts of the spindle and thus permits the use of a small motor for traversing the spindle.

The tube 146 is connected by a ball bearing 178 at its upper end to an-outer tube 180 which thus moves vertically with the inner tube 146 but is also free to be rotated, which the tube 146 is not. On the outer tube 180' are rings 182,184- to fit inside a bobbin to support the same. To rotate the outer tube 180 and the bobbin thereon, an intermediate tube 186 is nested between part of the inner tube 146 and part of the outer tube 180. The lower end of the intermediate tube 186 is in a ball bearing'188 mounted on a part of the frame within the housing 20. Just above the bearing 188 is a pulley wheel 190 connected by a belt 192 to a pulley wheel 194 on the shaft of a motor 196. The pulley wheels 1911,

194 are preferably of the multiple sheave type so that the belt can be shifted to operate the spindle at different speeds. The intermediate tube 186 has a second ball bearing 198 mounted on a frame member within the finger 136 is hinged to each side bar to guide the yarn from the side bar to the yarn package which is accumulating on the bobbin. The upper edge of each guide finger 130 is curled down as at 132to guide the yarn,

housing 20 at a point spaced from its lower end.- At its upper end the tube 186 has an outwardly projecting key 200 which engages in a vertical slot 292 through the wall of the outer tube 180 so that the tube 180 is rotated by the intermediate tube 186 but is free also to move vertically with the inner tube 146. Thus a bobbin on the spindie 14% has simultaneous rotating and vertical traversing movements.

The flyer 114 is preferably rotated at a speed which is a constant fraction of the speed of rotation of the spindle 14d. For this purpose driving connections are provided between the spindle and the flyer. A pulley wheel 264 is mounted on the driven tube 186 just above the bearing 198 and is connected by a belt 2% to a pulley wheel 298 on a vertical shaft 210 which extends upward nearly to the top of the housing 213. On the upper end of the shaft 210 is a puhey wheel 212 connected by a belt 214 to a pulley wheel 216 mounted on the tubular fiyer shaft 112. The pulley wheels 2G4, 268, 212 and 216 are preferably of the vari-speed type so that adjustments in the relative speeds of the spindle and fiyer can easily be regulated.

For driving connections any suitable belts or chains can be employed as may be found to be sufficient for the purpose. For most of the connections a helical spring belt is effective. The ends can be secured together as indicated in FIGURE 16. A short plug 22% is grooved helically to receive the end portions of a spring 222 which are screwed on the plug like nuts. A drop of solder may be employed to prevent any possibility of the ends coming apart.

Control means are provided for the various parts of the apparatus, the control means consisting chiefly of switches and rheostats as indicated on the wiring diagram in FIGURE 17. A manually operable master switch 239 and master rheostat 232 are in the main circuit to start and stop the entire apparatus and to regulate the speed of operation thereof. The spindle 149 and iiyer 114 are driven by the same motor 196 the speed of which is manually regulated by means of a rheostat 234. A switch 235 operable by a knob on the front panel of the housing 20 is also in series with the motor 196. The speed of the motor 86 which drives the drawing rolls can be regulated manually by a rheostat 236, and is also automatically regulated by a rheostat 238 which is connected in series with the rheostat 236 and is operated as hereinafter described. The speed of rotation of the supply package of roving can be manually regulated by means of a rheostat 241 which with a manually operable switch 241 is connected in series with an automatically operated rheostat 242. During the operation of the machine, the spindle and flyer are rotated at constant related speeds. As the package of yarn builds up on the bobbin, its diameter increases, and since the speed of rotation of the spindle is constant, the roving must be supplied at a greater rate from the drawing rolls and the preliminary twist imparted to the roving by the rotation of the supply package must also be progressively increased. To provide for automatic increases in the drive of the drawing rolls and the supply package, a cylindrical roving package is employed, the decrease in the diameter of which will be proportional to the increase in the diameter of the yarn body on the bobbin carried by the spindle. A feeler 250 is arranged to be pressed lightly by a spring 252 against the roving package 52. As the diameter of the roving package diminishes, the feeler moves gradually toward its axis, thus turning a shaft 254 which carries it. The rotative movement of the shaft 254 is magnified by any suitable means such as sprocket wheels 256 and 258 of different sizes connected by a chain 26%. The wheel 258 turns the movable contact arm 262 of the rheostat 238 to vary the speed of the motor '86 which drives the .drawing rolls. In like manner the shaft 254 is connected by sprocket wheels 270, 272

6 and chain 274 to move the contact arm 276 of the rheostat 242, thereby varying the speed of the roving motor 641.

For convenient control of the various parts of the mechanism, the control knob 166 and knobs for the switches 169, 239, 235 and 241 are grouped together on the front of the housing 2%.

In tending a long line of spinning units, it is important to know at once where any failure occurs. For this purpose each unit is provided with a signal, such as a lamp, which operates at once when there is a break in the roving. A feeler wire 289 is mounted on the top of the housing 20 to bear lightly on the stretch of roving extending from the upper drawing rolls to the guide roll 110. The feeler when supported by the roving holds a microswitch 282 closed in the power circuit which operates the various motors in the unit. If the roving breaks, it lets the feeler fall, causing the switch to open the circuit through the motors and at the same time closing a circuit through a lamp 284 or other signal which may be mounted on the top of the housing 20 to be conspicuously visible to the operator who is tending the units.

I claim:

1. In a spinning frame, a bobbin-carrying spindle comprising a central fixed vertical rod mounted at its lower end on the frame, an inner tube vertically slidable on said rod and extending beyond the upper end thereof, a rotatable mid tube surrounding said inner tube, bearings between said mid tube and parts of said frame whereby said mid tube is held against axial movement, an outer tube surounding said mid tube and splined thereto for rotation therewith, a bearing between the upper ends of said inner tube and outer tube whereby said outer tube is moved axially by the inner tube, and means on the outer tube for holding a bobbin.

2. Mechanism as described in claim 1, a closure in the upper end of said inner tube, and a compression spring in said inner tube between the top of said rod and said closure.

3. In a yarn spinning machine, a frame, a bobbincarrying spindle comprising a fixed central rod mounted on said frame, an inner tubular member vertically slidable on said rod and extending above the upper end thereof, a mid tubular member surrounding an intermediate portion of said inner tubular member, bearings on said frame rotatably supporting said mid member, an outer tubular member rotatably connected at its upper end to the upper end of said inner member and splined to said mid member for vertical movement relatively thereto, means for vertically reciprocating said inner and outer members, means for rotating said mid and outer members, and spring means between the top of said rod and the upper end of said inner member to support most of the weight of the inner and outer members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,620 Goodwin et al. May 3, 1864 200,321 Macomber Feb. 12, 1878 340,383 Smith Apr. 20, 1886 2,168,449 Reich Aug. 8, 1939 2,338,848 Henning et al Jan. 11, 1944 2,368,379 Roddy Jan. 30, 1945 2,449,431 Weiss Sept. 14, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 505 Great Britain of 1877 

1. IN A SPINNING FRAME, A BOBBIN-CARRYING SPINDLE COMPRISING A CENTRAL FIXED VERTICAL ROD MOUNTED AT ITS LOWER END ON THE FRAME, AN INNER TUBE VERTICALLY SLIDABLE ON SAID ROD AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE UPPER END THEREOF, A ROTATABLE MID TUBE SURROUNDING SAID INNER TUBE, BEARINGS BETWEEN SAID MID TUBE AND PARTS OF SAID FRAME WHEREBY SAID MID TUBE IS HELD AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT, AN OUTER TUBE SUROUNDING SAID MID TUBE AND SPLINED THERETO FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, A BEARING BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID INNER TUBE AND OUTER TUBE WHEREBY SAID 